Book Review: The Sky Beneath My Feet by Lisa Simon

I have to admit that it was more determination to finish what I had started than a deep interest in this book that kept me going to the end.  The plot  seemed to meander off in all direction, and even now I’m not sure of the intent of the book!  Was it to see a rather different way of handling a tough life choice?  To share the frustrations of dealing with recalcitrant teenagers?  To take us through the struggle of living by faith?  The author put a lot of effort into detailing the frustrations felt by the main protagonist, Beth, but the ending came so abruptly it left me feeling like she had lost interest in the story, and just wanted to finish it off as quickly as possible. 

I did feel challenged myself by the way Lisa Simon handled taking Beth  outside of  her own comfort zone in relationships with others; how she came to see that people outside her own immediate circle had cares, concerns, and motives for their actions that were different from hers, but still had great merit.  Beth underwent a huge attitude change in the way she thought about those around her; all of us could benefit from a similar willingness to look below the obvious outward surface of strangers.  She moves from someone who resents the presence of a “Jesus fish” on her vehicle to someone who sees that practical Christianity in action is what is required of a true follower of Jesus Christ.

The character development in the book is well done; the reader can “see” the various people described.  If you enjoy a book of vignettes, and are not troubled by lack of a start-to-finish storyline, you will likely enjoy reading it.

This book was supplied to me free of charge by the publisher through the BookSneeze program; I was not required to write a positive review.